English Syntax
Question 1
Determine the lexical category of each of the underlined
words in the sentences below. Use the morphological,
semantic and syntactic
criteria to provide evidence for your answers.
1. His second book came out this year.
1.1 Lexical Category: Noun
Morphological criteria:
The word ‘book’ is a free morpheme and further divided in the subgroup open
class lexical category of nouns. Therefore, it has meaning as a standalone word
and is indivisible without losing its meaning. The form in which is appears is
singular without the inflection -‘s’ which would indicate its plural form.
Semantic: The word ‘book’
is a noun because it names a thing. It is also a common noun because
it names a
general thing further
categorised as a
concrete noun because it is not
abstract and can be touched, smelled and even tasted. For instances
‘’I can read her like an open
book’’-connotation.
Syntactic criteria: The
word ‘book’ serves as the head of the Noun Phrase and it has a preceding
adjective.
His second book came out this year
1.2 Lexical Category: Noun
Morphological Category:
The word ‘year’ is a noun because it has lexical meaning as a word
belonging to the
open class free
morpheme. It is
uninflected, therefore, showing
neither it plural form or apostrophe to show possession in accordance to the
year.
Semantic
criteria: A noun is a person, place, thing or idea. Therefore, the word ‘year’
refers to a specific period of time, namely the place in time as well the thing
it is associated to it. ‘’The year goes by fast’’-connotation.
Syntactic criteria: The
word ‘year’ is part of the Noun Phrase along with the determiner ‘this’ to
adhere to the specific form of noun phrase it is a part of.
2. The Beautiful woman in the purple dress.
Lexical Category: Adjective
Morphological criteria:
The word ‘purple’ is a free morpheme and it is part of the open class lexical
category of words because it conveys lexical meaning. It also has no plural
form. It is not grammatically correct for anyone to say ‘purple(s)’.
Semantic: It is an
adjective because it says more about the noun that comes after it. The word
‘purple’ is meant to invoke a picture of the woman mentioned earlier in the
sentence but describing the ‘dress’ she is wearing. ‘’She is as beautiful as
the lillies’’-connotation.
Syntactic criteria: The word
‘purple’, was placed after the determiner but before the noun in the Adjective
Phrase, therefore it is a pre-modifier. It qualifies the noun dress.
3. Messi squeezed the ball between the goalkeepers legs into the net
Lexical Category: Prepositional
Morphological criteria:
The word ‘between’ is free morpheme but part of the functional closed class of
words as preposition. Some argue however that it is not clear whether it is
part of the open class or closed class of words.
Semantic criteria: The
word ‘between’ implies ingeniously to set amongst this or that.
Syntactic criteria: The word ‘between’ is a
preposition because it precedes an article
‘the’ and a proper noun ‘goalkeeper’.
Question 2
I am sure you are terrifically good (a) Noun Phrase. I am certain this is not
a bloop. I am accurate that you reign and want to reign in me for my good. I
affirm you have a sense of humour and that is funny. Oh Father, teach me thy ways of righteousness (c) Verb Phrase.
Let me wait patiently and confidently for my inheritance. Let me surrender to
your grand design which you noted in your little book, for all the days of my
life. Let me succumb to the pressures
of sacrifice and
yield to the
sufferings of the
present life. Knowing,
they are nothing compared to the
glory that awaits my soul. I love your plans, because they are out of this
world, just like we are. I'm giggling at your attitude towards me, somehow you
knew I would be overwhelmed at life and might just need a better answer then, I
am god, too! Subject to creation
and lost to
humanity, but your eyes
pierce darkness and
night (b) Adjective Phrase like broad day light.
Therefore, I was never lost to you. In fact, your plans never fail once we
failed you in the beginning. You gave us a chance a chance to repent very quickly
before death came (e) Adverbial Phrase. Reconciled to yourself even when we
are to blame. I love
your love. Teach
me your choice
of love and
I know death
will be easy. Mortifying my body will be pleasing and
crucifying my flesh will be a welcomed necessity. I fear when I don't
understand, but you argue faith should be in perpetual motion, and grace, where
my abilities end. Your simple and complex. Intricate and humble in all your
ways. To go
up, I must go down (d) Prepositional Phrase. To gain, I must lose. True to
your word and you cannot change for the better, because you are best. I miss
you, yet my eyes have never beheld
your splendid beauty.
How funny! I
just want to
say, gratitude, because
I am perplexed at your beauty.
Comments
Post a Comment